Reading 1
Jb 19:21-27
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
Responsorial PsalmR.
(13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel
Lk 10:1-12
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.'
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town."
Meditation: Job 19:19-26
“I know that my Vindicator lives.” (Job 19:25)
Job has lost everything he has. So just where does this faith of his come from? Who is this “Vindicator” he speaks of? Actually, the term is go’el in Hebrew, and in Scripture, it’s all about family ties. Go’el refers to a relative who would help out another relative. He might buy back property that you had lost. He might ransom a slave and give him freedom. He might avenge the murder of a kinsman. A go’el was someone who set things right. But Job’s family was all gone—so who would set things right for him?
Of course, Job is talking about God—but not in some impersonal way. Job believes that he is a part of God’s family—the family God established when he made a covenant with Abraham. It was God who redeemed the Israelites from slavery, and it is God who would surely vindicate Job. Even if he died of his illness, God would see to it that Job was remembered as a righteous man. Most importantly, Job would be rewarded with his heart’s longing—to see God at last.
What are we to take from this? It’s not really that Job was a great example of someone who suffered well. It’s that Job’s lifeline was his relationship to God. That’s the model God wants us to follow. And we should have even more hope because we know Christ. We should be able to say with Paul: “I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.” (Philippians 4:12).
How can we say this? Because Jesus is our go’el. He is our Redeemer who has set things right for us. So take some time in prayer today to rejoice in God’s goodness to you. Put your circumstances aside, both good and bad, and just thank the Lord for making you part of his family. Thank him for dying on the cross for you. Let him tell you how much he loves you. Enter into fellowship with Jesus—for that is the key to receiving his peace, the peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
“Lord, help me to put all my distractions away and simply seek you for who you are. Teach me to worship you in spirit and truth so that I can experience your saving love.”
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